Threads of Fate: Chronicle Two
by Felinephoenix
Summary: Having reunited in the Ellimist's new universe, the Animorphs and their loved ones must come to terms with the past, the present, and their future before they're destroyed from the inside out.
1. Chapter One: Tom

Author's Note: Consider this a very late Christmas present. =P Now, about this story. As you guys can tell, the rating's been upped. There's going to be some very mature and kinda controversial content in the coming chapters and, to be on the safe side, I thought it would be best to give the fic an R rating. As for this chapter, it's a lot less action-packed than the last few have been. I apologize to the Action fans. I hope you guys enjoy it. =)  
And, oh, before I forget -- everyone, please participate in the SOG Awards. ( for more info) I'd need more nominees, please! And, for everyone who's interested, I've opened up a Threads of Fate mailing list/Yahoo! Group. Look for it in Yahoo! Under the name tof_fans, if you want. 

Please read Threads of Fate: Chronicle One before you read this. 

Disclaimer: Almost half a year later and I still don't own Animorphs. Sucks, doesn't it?

**Threads of Fate**  
Chronicle Two

* * *

Love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real." - Iris Murdoch (1919 - 1999)

* * *

**Chapter One  
-Tom-**

Rise and shine, sleepyhead.  
"Yeerky, I don't wanna go to school." I moaned.  
Me either. He said as he rolled my body to the other side of the bed.  
Then he made my arm throw the covers off my half-naked body. But we have to.  
The Yeerk fumbled around my room trying to find the clothes it had picked out for me last night. Somehow, they'd fallen on the floor.  
Why is it you dress me better than I dress me? I asked the Yeerk.  
Because, Tommy-boy, He picked up my hairbrush. You have no style.  
I still know better than to wear boxers in December. I muttered back.

Well, thought-muttered, or something like that. _I_ haven't used my voice in two years. That's 24 months, 6 weeks, 730 days, and 17,520 hours, give or take a little, since I've done a damn thing.  
On the other hand, my Yeerk, Temrash 131, has been doing tons of stuff.  
It had been three months since he and another Yeerk, Iniss 666, had been promoted and ordered to start building a new pool for the grand Yeerk Empire. Joy. Rapture.  
The construction of the pool was almost finished. Woo-freaking-hoo.

Yes, I'm well aware that I'm bitter.

Anyway, this was a big day for Temrash, which was why he insisted on getting my body out of bed at some godforsaken hour. I suppose he wanted to look nice.  
So would I if I had to stand in front of Vissers One and Three.  
But I also suspected that Temrash had his own personal reasons for wanting to look good. Reasons he would never share with me.

Not that I ever wanted him to.

~~~

"Berenson."  
"Here."

"Chapman."  
"Here."

After that, Temrash's co-worker, Iniss 666, spun her host body to me.  
It still depresses me to see her. Iniss' Host, I mean.  
I used to know her a little bit before she became a Controller. She was my cousin Rachel's best bud, so I ran into her at Rach's birthday parties and sometimes when I had to baby-sit my little bro and the mini warrior princess. She was a nice kid. Happy.  
A little naive, too. I remember her asking one of the guys in Geometry was a BJ was. The look on her face after she found out was hilarious.  
"Aren't you excited about tonight?" Iniss 666 asked my Yeerk.  
"More like terrified." He muttered.  
"Terrified? We're gonna be hanging with some very cool people, what's terrifying about that?" Iniss asked. She was speaking in code, of course.  
The Yeerks don't want to let anything slip about their plans.  
Funny, I can't imagine why.  
"Those 'cool people' might serve our heads on a platter." Hissed Temrash.  
"No, they won't." Iniss said. Then she leaned in close.  
"We're proper, dedicated Yeerks. We're ready to give up anything for the cause. They know that." Iniss whispered in my ear.  
For a moment, I felt a flicker of emotion from Temrash. Doubt.

What's wrong? I asked him, not really caring so much as wanting to get on his nerves. Is she not the loyal, dedicated Yeerk she says she is?  
No, of course not. So shut up. Temrash sniped back.  
Or do you think the Vissers'll have your head for lunch? I wondered.  
I told you to shut up! I don't want to discuss this any further.  
You're the one who opened up to me. I said.  
That wasn't intentional. Temrash said, a lot less angry than before.  
I didn't know what to say to that so I let it slip for now.

"You're right, Iniss." Said Temrash.  
She twisted Melissa's face into a wickedly proud grin. "I always am."

The bell rang fifty minutes later. Temrash walked my body into the boys' locker room for Athletics, Homeroom. Yet another fine point of the day.  
See, all the guys hated me now. The same guys I'd been playing b-ball with for years all despised my guts. Can't say that I blamed them.  
I'd think I was an idiot, too, for doing what Temrash made me do.

You know I tried to reason with them. Temrash said to me.  
Not that I care much about your future, to be honest, but I don't see the point in throwing away a host's natural talent. He added.  
Wow. I think you just complimented me. I said, heavy on the sarcasm.  
You _do_ have talent. Temrash said.  
Had, Temrash. Now that you've killed my chances for a scholarship...  
I can devote more time to serving The Great Cause. Temrash ended.  
But I am going to miss this. We don't have anything like your "sports" on the Yeerk Homeworld. It's--fun. An interesting way to amuse myself.  
You never mentioned that before. I said as Temrash laced up my sneakers.  
Never thought I'd miss it. He admitted.  
Well, if it's worth anything, I miss it too. I mean, that feeling after you sink a ball into the net. It makes everything worthwhile, all that sweat and working your ass of 'til you're about to die--I like that part, too, though. Pushing my body to its limits. It's amazing. I said. I felt like a fool.  
Temrash didn't care. At least, not as much as I did. He never could.  
I didn't realize you missed it that much. Temrash said to me.  
He sounded sad. It freaked me out. I'd never heard him be sad before.  
Well, there's a lot of things I miss. I snapped. Like my freedom.

Temrash said nothing.

~~~

Temrash spent most of the day worrying about his encounter-to-be with the Vissers, but you never would've guessed it. As much as I hate him, he's a good actor. All Yeerks are, duh, but there are times when I'm awed by Temrash.  
Now was one of those times.  
"He shoots, he scores!" Temrash cried. "Tom the Fantastic, 20. Jake the Loser? Zero!"  
Jake threw the ball at "my" head. Temrash caught it, laughing his ass off.  
Without warning I felt a surge of emotion from my Yeerk, but what it was, I didn't know.  
"What? Does "Jake the Conqueror" wants to get obliterated again?" He asked.  
Jake leapt up and snatched the ball from my arms. "Again? Yeah right!"  
For an hour, I could just watch as Temrash played basketball with my brother.  
Every move he made was just how I'd have done it. Every duck, weave, and throw.  
Every joke. Every smile. Every curse word when Jake scored.  
I think, watching my Yeerk and my brother go one-on-one, that was when I knew.  
This wasn't my life anymore.

Hours later, it was eleven at night and everyone in the house was asleep.  
Minus me and Temrash, of course.  
I didn't really wake up until I heard the hinges on my window squeaking.  
Careful, I muttered. You might wake someone.  
No I won't. Your brother and mother are both asleep. Temrash told me.  
Then he threw the window open and leapt out. He ran out into the yard.  
Waiting for Temrash was a little gray two-door with a blonde at the wheel.  
Iniss 666, in Melissa Chapman's car, here to offer my Yeerk a ride to work.

~~~

"Still nervous?" Iniss asked Temrash as she sped on.  
"Well," Temrash began, "You can borrow some of the dracons in the trunk."  
Temrash turned to look at her. "You carry weapons in your host's vehicle?"  
Iniss seemed surprised. "Don't you?"  
Temrash didn't reply. It was a rhetorical question. _Every_ Yeerk kept what weapons they could. I knew for a fact that Temrash had two dracons, set at full power, stashed in my trunk and a shredder in the glove compartment.  
Iniss turned on the CD Player. Out blasted the words "I'm a...slave...to you."  
She started laughing. "My host hates this music. It hurts her ears."  
Temrash shifted in his seat and said nothing. He just leaned my head back.  
In mere moments he, and I, fell asleep.  
We were awakened by Iniss shaking my shoulders. And the feel of cool metal as she let her dracon beam drop onto my neck. "C'mon, 131, open your eyes."  
Temrash opened my eyes in a heartbeat. "Good boy." Iniss laughed.  
Then she opened the car door and both the Yeerks walked out.  
The place where we were at wasn't new to me. I knew of it well.

It was the Offices of Dapsen Co.

We took a short elevator ride to the top floor and were led by two groups of Hork-Bajir, one donned in gold-and-black, the other in red-and-black.  
Members of Visser One and Three's armies.  
They took us down the hallway and showed us through the door.  
In unison both Vissers turned their chairs around to face us.  
"Halafash girzen kalano." Visser One said. Leave. Growled Visser Three.  
Both Temrash and Iniss got on their toes but it was the Horks who departed.  
"Sit." Visser One ordered.  
They did. Visser Three did the talking. Do you know why you're here?  
"For whatever purpose you called us for, Commander." Temrash said.  
_I_ wasn't the one who called you here. Visser Three spat.  
Visser One wishes to propose a deal with both of you, though she has no authority whatsoever over _my_ troops. Visser Three said.  
Visser One smiled at him, every tooth a lie. "You sound like a child, Esplin."  
Then she laid her manicured hands on the desk. "You've both shown exceptional work here on Earth, work that you may have noticed my companion here is all too happy to disregard. I want to rectify that for each of you."  
"Rectify?" Iniss asked.  
She wishes to make you Sub-Vissers under her command. Visser Three said.  
Temrash looked at Iniss, her face as full of shock as mine.  
Visser One was offering them a golden opportunity. But...  
"We'd be traitors if we agreed, Visser One." Temrash said. "How are you protecting us?"  
By offering me two of her best troops. Visser Three said.  
"You'd trade us off like stupid humans?" Iniss demanded.  
"Not all humans are stupid, Iniss." Visser One said with a smirk.  
"But, of course, there would be some problems to deal with. First, for security reasons, Temrash 131 would need to bring in his host family for infestation..."

No. I moaned in the back of my head. No, no, no, no.

"Of course, I'm giving you time to think about my offer." Visser One said.  
You are to report back here in two weeks. Visser Three said. Go.  
Temrash and Iniss got up and bowed their good-byes to the Vissers.  
The Hork-Bajir, again, led them through the hallway.  
I should've seized control then. Forced Temrash to impale himself on the Hork's blades, or something, anything. I didn't. I couldn't.  
Because I'd just lost the battle. Sure, I could step in and stop my brother from getting involved with The Sharing. That I would do 'til I died.  
But I knew there was no way I could save my family from Visser One's forces.

Iniss drove Temrash home.

It was only when he stepped out of Melissa's car that I realized he was shaking.  
As soon as she was out of sight, he vomited all over the grass.

What's wrong, you Yeerk bastard? I asked him, feeling anger boil in me.  
Too chicken to be the gutless slug you are? Afraid Visser Three's going to kill you for taking her offer? Afraid Visser One will kill you if you don't?  
No! Temrash screamed. Then I felt like I'd been drowned under a tsunami.  
All of Temrash's feelings rushed through me. Sadness. Anger. Regret.  
It's you, it's all you! He screamed at me. You, with your happy life here on Earth, with the way you moaned and wailed in my head for weeks and weeks! You mutated ape, you made me feel _sorry_ for you! Temrash shouted.  
Tears flowed from my eyes. His.  
But I admired you. I admired the way you kept fighting, it was like nothing I'd ever seen before. And as time passed, I began to see why. You had a cause worth fighting for, your family and freedom. All I'd ever fought for was a decent host, a decent position! And your family--I grew attached to them through your memories. I admired your brother, he reminded me so much of you. Your Mother was a joy, I'd never met a writer before. Your Father made me laugh. I've come to--I've come to love them. But first, I came to love you. Not in the romantic sense, but the more I came to live inside of you I realized how _alive_ you were, more alive than I had ever been. Look at what you've made me! I'm sick! You've infested me!  
I've put your mission over mine. I--Tom--I'm going to protect them.  
My family. I murmured. Yes. Temrash whispered.  
I promise.

* * *

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Whee, Fanmail! (Reader's Response)

Loony Lovegood - **growls** How dare you leave the Animorphs fandom? Nah, I kid. Good to have you back, though. **hugs** And hey, it's always good when I floor someone. I like doing that. And give The First stripes and a whistle? Hmmm. Glad you liked the end of part one, though!

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Korean Pearl - New reviewer, yay! **does the new reviewer happy dance** Anyway, yep, there's the explanation. And I know the summary is confusing, but that was the best way I could explain the situation. And I guess I took it for granted that Marco would apologize for being such a jerk...my bad. I'm very happy that you liked the story, though.

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Lavendarangel - Yay, you're back! **hugs** And, hey, I understand about being glued to Buffy sites. =) Glad you liked the R/T, too. Was it worth the wait? As for Tara...I love 'er, but I had plans to kill someone that Cassie would be close to since I put her in the fic. I did consider killing Chapman, though. But I promise I won't kill her again. **cradles Tara plusie** =P  
And, well, now I've started the sequel. **feels sheepish**

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Celestial Star1 - Glad you liked the prologue, and read some more, the invasion isn't JUST in Cassie's POV...

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Neri - I'm sorry about Tara! Good to know that the R/T rocked your socks, though. Tara looks like a blonde to me. And I've been super lectured-on the difference between dark blondes and light brunettes, thanks to my hairdresser mom. **laughs** But you're right, there's an insane amount of blondes on Buffy. It's scary. Thank god Oz never died his hair blonde, though it was about every other color under the sun. And on Angel, Cordy's hair has gone blonde-ish! I'm scared! I like Angel and Buffy equally. Buffy's tons of fun, but Angel has kewl, quirky ideas and they both kick butt in the drama department. I'd love to see SMG on Angel, though. That'd be so cool. Too bad they couldn't have ressurrected Anya and put her on Angel, too...she'd be a lot of fun on that show. =( Viva la Anya/Xander! And, gah, Willow...I'm torn between Willow/Oz and Willow/Tara. I thought Willow/Kennedy was cute, too...but no, Tara wasn't shot by Warren in this fic. She was shot by Melissa's Yeerk, Iniss. And, okay, I'll ramble a lot. Ms. Calendar is great, too! I love her! And, eh, no The First in this fic isn't the same as the one from Buffy. The names are just concidence. I haven't decided if he's incorporeal or not, though. I think he will be. And, yep, Tobias is still with Miss Smith.

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DH L'Orange - First of all, I'm really sorry about taking so long on this chapter! Forgive me! Please? With a cherry on top? =) And I'm glad you liked Cassie's POV, and I thought it was pretty cool of Tobias to kiss Rachel, too. And there's going to be plenty more of Marco's thoughts on his mom. Just you wait. And, no, I guess the Animorphs haven't thought about not saying "Yeerk" on the phone yet...whoops! =P

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DJ Eagel - More The Fourth Reich? Really? I can't wait! Glad you liked the chapters, too.

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someone - Chronicle Two is here! Enjoy.

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LJstagflower4e/JCtigerwolf4e - I apologize, I know the last chapter was really confusing. But I will try my hardest to explain it--and I can give you one explanation. The "new ally" The First mentions is, as the chapter shows, Tom/Temrash.

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freak show - Ms. McClay is Cassie's English teacher. She's in chapter seven, though not much. I'm glad the stuff with The First made sense! I think you're the first person to tell me that. =P And I'll just tell you right now that no-nothlitness for Tobias in this fic. I just can't write it. (But, oddly, I can write it for Ax. I made him a nothlit in another fic of mine.)

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Patrick Blah - I thought the Barb Bush quote was pretty funny too. =P And Part Two is now here, so you can stop waiting. Yay! It makes me really happy to know that people think I wrote Cassie well...it'd been so long since I'd written her, I was worried. And, no, The First isn't the power that kicked Crayak out. Actually, I didn't know there _was_ a power that kicked Crayak out. Guess that's what I get for not reading all the series yet. And, hey, I specialize in evil cliffhangers!

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Doctor Strangelove - I love/hate you, too. **hugs** Look on the bright side, you've stolen lots of my ideas. =) (Like the TV M/A fic. I had that plot bunny in my head for quite a while.) Plus, you're a much better writer than me. Which is why I can't wait to see what you're doing with your fic, which I'm sure'll spin off in a totally different direction than mine. And I'm saying which a lot, which is strange. And about what you said in your other review about starting a mailing list...you inspired me! **MORE huggles** (Reviewing does pay off! =P)  
And I'm very glad I was able to recreate Book #1 for you.


	2. Chapter Two: Marco

Author's Note: I can't apologize enough, I know that. I'm _so_ sorry. But like I said in my Author's Note (before it got deleted, anyway) I needed some time to get my life straight -- and plus, I had Writer's Block from Hell. (I'm serious, it hasn't been this bad since I was fourteen!) Which is why this is a Marco chapter instead of a Jake one, for those of you who were wondering and read my profile.

As for the chapter itself -- I don't think it's that great, but it's okay, and it has more foreshadowing than you can shake a stick at.

**

Threads of Fate

**  
Chronicle Two 

* * *

"Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve." - Chinese Proverb 

* * *

**Chapter Two  
-Marco- **

Your left, your left! Rachel shouted.  
I grabbed the skateboard lying by my feet and slammed it into the Skater-Controller's head.  
Rachel laughed. Good one. I gave her my now-patented Gorilla smirk.  
That all of them? I asked. I think so. Tobias said, leaping down in the Hork-Bajir suit he'd picked up about a month ago.  
I dropped the skateboard. It cracked on the street. Good. I said.  
Jake's just gonna _love_ this. I added. I mean, tell me, what part of that was not low-key?  
Maybe the skateboard smash. Tobias commented.  
And the part where we made fun of his hair. Rachel added.  
Oh, plus the whole interrupting infestations thing. Tobias again.  
That too. Rachel admitted.

I glared at them. One, I was pissed they made fun of my joke. Two, the way they were finishing each other's sentences ticked me the hell off. Why not rub it in my face, huh?  
Not that I'm bitter. Oh no, no bitterness here, none whatsoever. Me? Bitter? Nah.  
'Cause, hey, the girl I still have the hots for and thought just might like me is dating the Dork of the Year is a reason to celebrate, dammit.

Hey, we were just kidding, man. Tobias told me when he saw my look.  
Yeah, yeah, I know. I muttered, my big rubbery muscles deflating into weaker human ones.  
Did we hurt your fragile widdle ego? Rachel asked.  
Yes. I admitted. My ego is broken, much like your sanity, _Xena_. We all laughed.  
Then I nabbed our clothes from out behind the Dumpster and Rachel paid for the bus rides home.

Needless to say, my life's become weird, but nobody knows the worst part of it.

I was a normal kid until I was about ten. Then my mom died.  
My dad just lost it. And I guess that over the years, in a way, I became the parent. But dad's starting to pull it back together. He's dating now. I hate that.  
Things kept on the broken-Dad stage until this year. This year, I met Jake and I had a flashback to myself as a King-Kong lookalike talking to a tiger about my mom. I figured I was going nuts. I probably am. But the not so comforting thought is I'm not the only one.  
I met five other kids who'd had the flashbacks, too. Jake was one of them and his hot, crazy cousin Rachel was another. Then there were Cassie, Tobias, and Ax.  
We started comparing notes and figured out our flashbacks had to do with an invasion. A war. Involving slugs from outer space.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Been there myself.

Not so long later one of our crew finds an alien tech gizmo, another becomes an alien, and there's this guy I didn't quite know explaining that there _was_ an invasion and the whole planet just kind of happened to be at stake. Did I mention the guy was an android? A dog android?

Yes, I know.

And like an idiot, I figure I might as well help the world. Except now I'm not so sure. 'Cause I have enemies now and one of my biggest, if not the worst, enemy I have happens to be someone I know. Someone I care about. Love.

My mom.

And I'm the only one who knows it.

~~~

He leaned over and snatched my pencil out of my hands.  
"You had it, you just forgot the negative." Ax muttered as he erased all my work.  
"Oh." I said, looking at him. "Now how much is my old man paying you again?"  
"Three bucks an hour." Ax chirped and handed me back my pencil. "If I'd known I'd be teaching you, I would have asked for more."  
"Funny." I went back to my problems.  
"I wasn't trying to be." My pencil just happened to hit him in the head.  
He snatched it and placed it on my desk. I scowled. "Tell me why I have to do this."  
Ax sighed and rubbed his temples, reminding me of Jake. "For the third time--"  
"If I don't learn my 'rithmetic, I flunk high school, get grounded for life, and can no longer be an Animorph." I said. "There's a downside to that?"  
Ax glared. "You'll pass if it kills me. And I think it will."

I laughed. I had to admit that one wasn't half-bad.  
Trust me, I'm as surprised as anyone that our resident hacker-boy has something resembling a sense of humor. But sometimes you have to laugh to survive.  
And to be fair, he is a good tutor. Minus the devouring-my-stash-of-snacks-in-ten-minutes part.  
Plus he's saved my ass more than once in the past three months.

"Did you get Jake's email?" I asked, pleased to discover I was three-fourths done.  
"The one last night, yeah." Ax said. Then he yawned. "At, like, three in the morning."  
"Sounds to me like someone's not getting his rest."  
"I'm not." He said flat-out. "Have you?"  
I shrugged. "Kind of. I think happy thoughts before I go beddy-bye."  
"What?"  
"Well, in my case, I find supermodels in bikinis help."  
I could almost hear Ax rolling his eyes. "Is that all you think about?"  
"Sometimes I think about Rachel in a bikini."  
Ax looked at me for a long time, almost 'til I got nervous. Then the words came out of his mouth slow and careful.  
"Do you like her?"

I laughed. In fact, I busted out laughing. Which, looking back, may have been overdoing it.  
"No way, man." I assured him. "She's Tobias's girl."  
I met the curiosity in his eyes and looked away. "She is hot."  
"Sorry." Ax said. "I just wondered. Because I've seen, y'know, the way you look at her sometimes. I didn't mean to-to um, uhm..."  
"Uh-huh-huh-mm-hm!" Ax coughed and knocked his chest. Then he bit his lip and looked down. We'd all figured out he stuttered when he was nervous.  
And not in his Andalite costume.  
"Hey, no offense taken." I told my intelligent buddy. "Like I said, she's hot, but she's with Tobias. I'm not gonna--well, I would have." I admitted.  
Then I took a deep breath and turned the other way. "I still like her. She's not like anyone else I've ever met. But I guess she doesn't like me."  
Ax didn't have a response to that. Instead, he just leaned over to check my (finished) work. He was satisfied with it and admitted that I was showing signs of improvement. Whether or not I'd pass our next test was up for grabs, though.

Then we sat, ate Cheetos, played video games and were merry until Dad came home.  
And neither of us mentioned Rachel again.

~~~

As it turned out, I did pass my next Algebra test that next day.  
But that was the only good thing that happened to me.

First, when I came to school, Jake told us all that he'd found his brother and Melissa, Rachel's buddy, had gotten promoted. Cassie figured we should spy on them, two of us taking the job for the next three days.  
Guess who got stuck with the shift? That's right, me. And Xena.

Then there was bad thing number two.

It came plummeting into me right before lunch on a skateboard going about fifty miles per hour. Some stupid jerk on a freaking skateboard, in the middle of the hallway wearing black pants and an oversized Grateful Dead shirt with spiked blonde hair and brown eyes. Sort of taller than me.

Then it hit.

**__**

FLASH!

He leaned forward. "Last night, someone tried to steal it. You wanna know how? With trained birds!"  
I tried to look surprised. "Say what?"  
"Two birds flew in my window and tried to take it. Good thing Megadeth, my cat, got 'em."  
"You named you cat Megadeth?"  
"But, man, I wish my snake was out of his cage. He's had his venom taken out, but I bet he would've scared those birds."  
"Snake?"  
"Cobra." David grinned. "They're really cool. You're not even supposed to have them, but my dad got him for me. He goes overseas a lot. He's a spy, but don't tell anyone."  
I wanted to laugh and I felt sick. A kid with a cat named Megadeth, a cobra, and a dad who might be a spy? What were we dealing with?

My head ricochet into the side of my locker and the Skater Kid, David, I guess, came running. "Are you okay?" He asked me. "Are you okay?"  
I looked at him and grinned. "Megadeth, huh?" Then I passed out.

Surprise, my trip to the nurse's office wasn't bad thing three.  
But then again, I think the nurse is kind of hot. But don't tell anyone I said that.  
No, Jake was bad thing three.

"What? You did what? What happened?" Jake asked.  
I waved him off my back. "I just met the guy and went to Flashback Land."  
"What did you see?" Cassie asked, poking at her salad. "Nothing much. We just talked."  
"What's so big about that?" Rachel wondered. I shrugged. "Betas me."  
"Did you say anything?" Jake asked, then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Did you morph?"  
I shook my head. "No morphing. I think I might've said something about his cat, but that's it."  
Jake de-tensified about an inch. "Okay, forget about it."  
Then he licked his lips, ran his hand through his hair, and shot me a nervous glance.  
I jerked away from it and watched in fascination as it melted away.  
"We need to talk." Jake whispered. "Meet me outside."  
My stomach churned. Maybe my flashback had done more than dented my skull. Or maybe I knew in my guts what was about to happen. Regardless, my appetite was gone. So I stood up, too.  
"Screw waiting." I said, plastering the trademark Bigass Grin. "Lead the way."

I followed Jake all the way out of the cafeteria, past the commons and through the parking lot to the back of the school where even the druggies wouldn't be caught dead.  
I tried to keep up some small talk on the way there. See if I could make Jake spill whatever shoved the stick up his ass, but I didn't have that kind of luck.  
When we got there, Jake and I both did a habitual look, just to make sure there weren't any could-be Controllers around. We had to be careful.  
Which made me wonder why Jake didn't ask Erek to make a hologram for us.  
I'd find out soon enough.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked him. "It's the middle of December and I'm freezing my ass off out here and you're talking less than a mute man. Tell me what's up."  
"The sky." Jake smiled. But my bad mood wiped the smirk off his face. "It's the mission."  
"What about it?" I asked, shoving my hands in my pockets.  
Jake stared at his shoes. He mumbled something. "What?" I asked.  
Jake took a deep breath and without warning put a hand on my shoulder. "Marco, I have to tell you something."

__

Oh, no. I thought as it started to dawn on me. _Not this. Not this, damn it, not this!_

A nervous laugh ripped itself out of my mouth. "You want to boff Cassie?" I joked.  
I didn't see Jake shake his head, but I knew that he had.  
I heard him swallow and choke the words out the best he could. "Marco, Erek told me--"  
"He wants to boff Cassie?" I tried again.  
Jake clenched his fist. "Damn it, Marco, this is important! Your mom--"  
"Is alive." I finished his sentence for him, some part of me overjoyed to see the shock in his eyes. "I know." It was my turn to take a deep breath as things hit me full-force.  
"How long did you know, Jake? Did Erek tell you that day? The day we got our morphing powers? Did he pull you aside and say "Hey Jake, old buddy, old pal, I think you'd better know this. And, oh yeah, could you tell Marco for me, he might take it better coming from you? Is that what happened Jake? Is it?"  
I was screaming. I was sucking in gulps of air, trying like hell to calm down.  
Jake had backed away from me. But he still had the guts to open his mouth.  
"I didn't know you knew. I thought I should tell you that day I dropped by your place, but you were so stoked your dad got his promotion I thought I'd tell you later. I didn't know."  
"You think I wouldn't recognize her?"  
"I didn't know she'd show up! Erek told us she wouldn't, don't you remember?"  
"It was her voice!" I screamed, not sure who I was talking to, Jake or me.

'Cause I don't think it had sunk in until then.

"Marco?" Jake was beside me now. He was reaching down, maybe to hug me or something. I shoved his arm back. Hard.  
"Don't touch me." I said. I was shaking. "Get the hell away from me."  
Jake obeyed my wishes and ran back inside. Good.

Because I didn't want him to see me cry.

~~~

I'm in a bad mood.  
Oh, poor baby, did you get another restraining order?  
I laughed. I was glad to have Rachel with me. Sure, okay, she was kind of with someone else, but she was fun to hang around with. Somebody who could appreciate my sense of humor (most of the time), throw it right back at me and most important of all, not ask any tough questions.  
No, but you wish you could slap a restraining order on me, don't you?  
Ha! As if! Not that I put it past you to morph a bug and sneak into my room.  
It's a thought.  
You sick freak!  
You think I'm serious? What kind of man do you take me for?  
A sick freak.  
Who'll one day make all your fantasies come true, pun intended?  
Shut up before I peck your eyeballs out.

I did as I was told and went back to doing what I was supposed to do. Watch Tom.

So far, it'd been a horrific bore. Tom hadn't done anything Yeerkish even though Jake and his parents were out of the house. No phone calls, no emailing, no nothing. It was freaky.  
All he'd done for the past hour was pace around, eat a brownie, and shoot hoops in his room. It was strange.

Figures. We come on Tom's day off. Rachel snarked. Oh my god, is he going to the fridge again?  
Well, he's going downstairs. I said, flapping my osprey wings to get a little closer. But what's so big about the fridge?  
You can't...I don't mean this in a sick way, but a guy with a body like Tom's should not be filling it with crap! I mean, jeez, you'd think that slug would know better. Rachel fumed.  
Aw, you do care, don't you, princess? I teased. Rachel gave me the birdie equivalent of the finger.  
Yeah. She whispered. I do care.  
Wait, wait! Marco, look! I followed Rachel as she plummeted further down into the trees, giving us a clear view of the Berenson's parking lot.  
And the girl standing inside it.

I'd never seen her before in my life. Which was a shame, 'cause she was cute in an-I'll-break-your-arm-in-seven-places-if-you-mess-with-me-way. Like Rachel.  
Her long jet-black hair was plaited into a tight braid. She was wearing an old faded t-shirt and covering it with an just as faded denim jacket.  
Completing her ensemble was a pair of gray sweatpants and some beaten up sneakers.  
She had a weird, suitcase-like thing tucked under one arm and a dracon beam in the other.  
Tom stepped out the front door to meet her.  
She threw the suitcase-y thing at him and he caught it. "Your Kandrona Particle Generator." She said.  
Tom broke out into a smile. "Thank you."  
"Now are you going to tell me what I need to know or did I save your ass for nothing?" The girl asked.  
Tom put his arm around her and led her to the door. "I'll tell you all I know."  
The girl pulled out the dracon and pointed it at Tom's neck. "You'd better."  
"Inside?" He pleaded, his eyes shifting to the weapon on his jugular.  
"Inside." The girl agreed. She lowered her weapon and Tom laughed.

"It's always a pleasure doing business with you, Madra."

* * *

****

I suck! I'm sorry! Don't kill me! Oooh, kitty! (Reader's Response)

Devidramon - **faints down dead** I haven't heard from you in, what, two years?! **hugs** And I'm really glad you like this story -- and yes, Iniss is that nasty.

**D.H. L'Orange** - Hey, I don't mind you reviewing late. Actually, I'm really glad you did -- your review gave me the kick in the butt I needed. Thanks. I'm glad you liked the Tom/Temrash thing...you'll just have to keep reading, though, to see how they get past V1 and V3. If they do. And this story is still going to be narrated by the Animorphs for the most part, but there will be some other characters, like Tom and Temrash, narrating too. And I hadn't really thought about TemRASH (I just nabbed the name from some Yeerk in the books), but now that I think about it, that's pretty ironic. How weird! And I hope you like this chap.

**Lavenderangel** - Yep, I'm still alive. And for the record, I don't have this fic that well-planned. The story always seems to change a little each chapter I write. All I know is the very basic parts of the plot (this has to happen so this can happen and so on). And I'm sorry there's no Jake angst...I just couldn't seem to get it down this time. But don't worry, I'll take another shot at it soon. And thank you for sticking with the story.

**Phnx** - Thanks for your encouragement and I hope this was worth the wait.

**Patrick Blah** - I'd been wondering why there weren't more Yeerks who sympathized with their hosts, too. I guess that's why I've written the Tom/Temrash thing. And I'm sorry I almost had you waiting three months! But I finally wrote something I'm happy with, so I'm gonna post it, just like you suggested. Thanks!

**RasberryGirl** - You infected with Senioritis! No fair! (Just kidding. =P) But I'm glad to I'm not the only one with a writing bug. And I think this chapter is a bronze for sure. Not a gold, but definitely bronzey. Now the question is if I can bug you enough so you'll update Trust. Hmmm...**evil grin**

**Korean Pearl** - It's good to know that someone thinks I did the Tom/Temrash thing realistically. And now that you mention it, I was planning to do a thing with Tobias and his uncle like you suggested and I'll definitely do it now. Thanks for the idea!

**freak show** - You had writer's block for almost two years? Wow, okay, I'm never complaining about it again. And thank you for not leaving the fic.

**kaz456** - Hey, as long as people read the story, I'm happy. Not that the reviews aren't nice, but I'm glad my fics are being read, period. I hope you liked this chapter!

**Zero** - Thank you for reminding me I had a story to finish.

**Tinnuelenath ** - I admit the whole Tom/Temrash thing is my big homage to The Perspective. But, wow, you really think my writing's that good? ^^ Thank you. Oh, and I'm glad I made you feel for Temrash.

**Loony Lovegood** - Well, I hope my "resurrection" can bring you back to the Anifandom. I'd love to see that Tom fic. And, yes, you do detect Tom/Mel vibes but sssshhh, that's supposed to be a secret. ^_- I'm glad you like my take on Tom and his yeerk...I haven't decided whether they'll be replacing Aftran, though. And I'm JKR twisted? YES!

**Celestial Hikari** - To be honest, I can't remember if you've said I'm a good writer, but thanks nonetheless. And I didn't know about the three numbers = triplets thing. But the reason I picked the number is because 666 is supposed to be (according to some, anyway) a symbol of the devil, and Iniss 666 is pretty satanic. Don't worry about the siblings, though. If she has 'em, I won't mention them anyway.

**A.S. Amalon** - Well, I updated anything but soon, but I did update. Does that count? Anyway, glad you liked the Tom/Temrash story. **Pixie13** - Yay, new reviewer! Glad you liked the story and I hope you like this chapter.

**Aftran** - Thanks for the compliment (about the other chap reading like one of the books), I'm happy you liked the Tom/Temrash storyline, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

**Not Doctor Strangelove** - For the record, the first line in your new profile is just as bad as one of your old cliffhangers. I was scared something really had happened to you. (Which would make me cry.) Anyway, I think I've lost all my right to ever complain about your fics being late ever again. (Not that I ever had it, since you write faster than me, but...) And I think our otherworldly beings will definitely be different. Which reminds me, are you still planning on finishing "I Am Jake"? Glad you liked Tom and the Yeerk's POV. As for rewriting Adventures in Clubbing -- well, I don't know if you still plan to. But if you want to, go for it. Though I have to say it's the best Marco/Ax fic and my favorite romance fic without the rewrite. 


	3. Chapter Three: Rachel

Author's Note: Long story short -- I suck. Seriously, though, I really didn't mean to take so long with this chapter, it's just that life (and finals and the end of school and everything) just kind of got in the way. I'm really sorry, guys. And, oh yeah, this chapter sucks. Again, sorry, but I tried my best. Just trust me when I say the next one will be loads better. (And soon, since now it's summer and I don't have to worry about school!)  
And while I'm at it -- I've started a new story on Fictionpress.net, "Superboy", if anyone's interested. Okay, now I'll shut up and let you read the story!

**

Threads of Fate

**  
Chronicle Two

* * *

"In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity." - Albert Einstein

* * *

**Chapter Three  
- Rachel -**My name is Rachel and I'm confused, bored, spying on my cousin who's not really my cousin but an evil alien slug pretending to be him, and my wings are getting sore.Yeah, there's a long explanation for all that, but I'm not in the mood to give it.Madra? I wondered, my eyes on the girl Tom had just let in his house. Who the hell is that?  
Yeerk, I bet. Marco spat.  
Only one way to make sure.I took a nose-dive into the bushes, and found my head filled with the sound of Marco screaming at me. What are you doing? Are you _insane_?  
I'm demorphing. I told him.  
You're _what_?  
Demorphing. I repeated. Don't you get it? Our bird morphs are useless right now, with Tom and Yeerk-Girl inside. We have no clue what they're up to stuck like this!  
You're a psycho. Marco sighed.  
But he swooped down beside me as I fell further down into the bushes, out of sight, shrinking to the size of a Super-Mini Mini-Me.  
What if you get caught, O Reckless One?  
I'll be fine. My face reappeared within the melting bits of bird. "Aff wong ast goo whatch my byaick." I said.  
Huh?  
The bird had disappeared and the roach's exoskeleton began coating my body.  
"As long as you watch my back," I told the Midget, "I'll be fine."In a few moments later I was all roach and finding myself in front a big, feathery wall.Thank you for flying Roach Airlines. Keep all feelers, hands and legs inside the bird at all times.  
You're such a loser. I laughed.  
But that's why you love me, right?  
You wish.Marco had no quick comeback, which was weird. But by the time I realized it, we were flying to the house, and I just didn't care.

Marco dropped me off an inch or two from the door. That's about a mile in roach-size. But it was no problem, since roaches can scurry as fast a Daytona 500.  
I found a crack under the door and, ta-da, I'd busted in.

Xena! Marco's thought-speak reached me, farther away this time. You in?  
Yeah! I called back.  
Hear anything?  
No, dumbass, I just got in.  
Well, excuse me, Your Majesty.

Marco shut up after that, which was good because I was having a hard time hearing Tom and Magra or whatever-her-name-was over his "charming" wit.

"All right, you want me to tell you what I know? Fire away."  
_That's Tom,_ I realized. I started looking around for something, anything that would get me closer to my cousin. Which was not that easy to do, considering that everything I was seeing was about eight hundred times it's regular size.  
I had to find something -- some way to stay with them, because if they so much as left the room, I'd be screwed -- but what?  
I caught a glimpse of a tall white mountain with criss-crossing black roads.  
Tom's sneakers.  
I jumped on them and climbed up his leg. Good. Now I could stay in hearing range.

"I could, but I don't want to kill my messenger." Said Yeerk-Girl.  
"Huh? Oh, that's right, your dracon. Why don't you put that down?"  
"What if I don't?" I heard her move closer. Something made a soft "click".  
"That slug...she's got her forces looking out for me, you know."  
_Slug?_ I thought. _What slug?_  
"I know." Tom said.  
"You told me your worked for her, _Temrash_." She said, spitting out the name of Tom's yeerk like it left a bad taste in her mouth. "The only reason I agreed to help you is because you said you'd give me information. Look, I heard your story, you've told me what you want to do, but I don't believe it."  
"Madra--" Tom started, but I felt the girl grab him. "Shut up." She ordered.

Tom did.

Xena? I heard Marco's thoughtspeak from outside. You all right in there?  
Well, yeah. I told him. Why wouldn't I be?  
You weren't telling me anything. I thought something went down.  
No, dork, I snapped at him even though, to tell the truth, I was kind of touched he'd worried. If something was going down, then I'd tell you. But I'm fine.  
Good. He said. _Is_ anything happening?  
Not really. Miss Yeerk's bitching at Tom, something about the slug he works for and how she's after her and how she doesn't trust him.  
The Yeerk he works for? Marco repeated.  
Yeah, so?  
And you said that Yeerk's a she, right?  
Right.  
Couldn't it be Visser One?  
Oh my god, I said, You're right.  
Guess that means I should shut up, then, huh? He asked me.  
You can do that?  
Fuck you.

Marco left me alone after that.

"Now talk." The girl told my cousin's parasite.  
Tom took a deep breath and almost squashed me as he plopped down on the couch.  
"I'm pretty sure Visser Three has infested him already." Tom said. "My bet is he wants him for something, to hurt someone. Now, why he didn't just shoot him, I don't know. It would've gotten the job done a lot quicker. But, you're not going to find him by looking in the yellow pages. He's on the missing person's list. For good."  
There was a pause and then the girl asked him, "Is he with you?"  
"Me, myself? No. I'd have given him to you if he was. I don't give a shit about some nine-year-old Visser Three wants to keep as his pet. But is he with my kind, my brother Yeerks? Yes. The Visser, the one not after your head, has had him for a few weeks now, at least. Maybe longer."  
Yeerk-Girl started laughing. "Visser Three thinks he'll hurt her by infesting him? He really is as stupid as they say he is, isn't he?"  
"Can't say I disagree." Said Tom's Yeerk.  
"Thank you." Said Yeerk-Girl. She took a deep breath herself. "I still don't trust you, but thank you all the same."  
"You saved my life." Said Tom's Yeerk as he got up. "Consider it payback."

There was a moment of silence.

"Good luck." Yeerk-Chick whispered.

I heard the door shut seconds as she let herself out.

Marco? I called out. I think things just got complicated.

"So, wait, let me get this straight. Sluggo T and Mysterious G are going to backstab Mr. and Mrs. V?"  
"That's pretty much what it sounded like." I told Tobias, looking over my shoulder to make sure Sarah wasn't jumping on her bed.  
We were using code, since over the phone, there was always the risk our lines could be tapped. And just so you know, Sluggo T is Tom, Mysterious G is the weird girl, and Mr. and Mrs. V are Vissers One and Three. "Sounds like a hell of a season finale." Tobias commented.

I heard Ax snicker in the background. I wondered if Tobias was using lady's -- Loren, or Mrs. Smith's -- phone, or if Ax had one of his own that he was letting Tobias borrow.

"Oh, shut up!" Tobias shouted at him.  
"Season finale? That's the best you can come up with?"  
"Like you've got something better?"  
"Yeah, like 'Wow, that sounds like a lame movie'."  
"How is that any different than season finale?"  
"Nobody would air a show like that! I mean, Sluggo T, come on!"  
"I swear, one of the days, I'm going to kill him." Tobias told me.  
"I heard that!" Ax shouted.  
"Why don't you go shoot some hoops or something?"  
"I can't. It's snowing outside."  
"Then why don't you leave?"  
"It's my room! But I was going to anyway, I just wanted to tell you to tell Rachel I said hi."

"Ax says hi." Tobias told me.  
I tried not to laugh. "Tell Ax I said hi back."  
"Rachel says hi back. Now will you just go already?"  
"Tobias, I'm starting to think you don't want me here. Ow! You didn't have to hit me...okay, all right, I'm leaving."

Tobias took a deep, long breath. "He's cool most of the time but sometimes he's a real pain in the neck."  
"I know how you feel." I told him, checking to make sure Jordan hadn't caused any mass destruction. Tobias laughed. "Yeah, I guess you do, huh?"  
"Oh, just a little, what with having to look after Jordi the Super-Brat and the Sarah the Amazing Toddler and all." I grinned.  
Tobias groaned. "I remember."  
"They still think you're my boyfriend. Except, you know, now you are."  
"I am?" Tobias asked, a teasing lilt in his voice. "I thought I was just your makeout buddy."  
"Oh no, no, no." I corrected him. "Makeout buddies can kiss. There's a big difference."  
"Are you trying to diss on my mad skills?" Tobias asked.  
Then there was an awkward silence.  
"Wow," He said. "I've been hanging around Ax way too long."

It was my turn to take a deep breath. "How, um, have things been working out? With all that stuff?"  
"You mean with Ax and Loren?" He asked. "Yeah." I said.  
"It's been okay." He said. "No, it's been good. I mean, Ax sucks, but Loren is cool. There's been some problems with, like, services and stuff, but it's good."  
"Services?"  
"Um, yeah, you know. Child Welfare. They, uh, they've been bugging us, but it's no big deal."  
"You didn't tell me that."  
"Yeah, well, like I said -- not a big deal. Look, Rachel, I gotta go try and finish my history paper. So, talk to you later?"  
He was hanging up on me already? I couldn't believe it. This was _at least_ the _third_ time!  
"Yeah." I told him, getting ready to hang up just to beat him to the chase, "Later."  
"Wait!" Tobias shouted. I stopped. "I almost forgot. Do you want to go out with me later this week, like maybe Wednesday? Ax has got a game, and he really wants me to go and I thought maybe you'd want to come with?"  
"Yeah." I said, smiling, dropping my anger for a moment. "Sure."  
"Awesome." He said, giddy. "Later."  
"Later." I echoed back, hearing the soft _click_ when he hung up.

I put the phone back on the hook and tried to focus on the good.  
Tobias had asked me out on a date. And I was thrilled. I mean, we really didn't do dates that much, unless you count all the times we'd go out flying after school. So that was great.  
But I was getting tired of him bailing on me everytime I tried to figure out how things were going with him and his new "family". I knew, in my head, that everything that happened with his uncle was stuff he didn't want to talk about it yet. I got that.  
But it still hurt that he wouldn't talk to me.

"Rachel?" Jordan's voice snapped me back to reality. I looked down at her, wondering how the heck she'd got to my bedroom so fast. "What?" I asked.  
"Would you look over my homework for me?"  
"Oh, yeah, sure." I grinned. "As long as you pay me."  
"No way!" Jordan shouted as I followed her to her room.  
"Yes way. You've got to pay me ten bucks, or I won't help you."  
"Rachel, you know I don't have any money!"  
"Oh, is that so?" I asked as I shut the door behind me. "Next week's allowance then."  
"No way. I'll tell Mom."  
"I'll tell her you went to that party at Megan's."  
"You wouldn't!"

As it turned out, I didn't get to talk to Tobias at school the next day because Jake had sent him and Ax off to go check out what we suspected were new entrances to the Yeerk Pool.  
Some of Erek's Chee friends were covering for them, though. That was one of the ultra-cool perks of having a bunch of millennia old androids on our side -- if there was a Chee available, we could play hooky whenever we needed to. They'd just set up a hologram and pretend to be us for however long we needed. It was very cool.  
The downside, though, was that the rest of us were left in school.

"All I'm saying is that The Sharing is cool." I gritted my teeth as I pulled on my leotard.  
"I hear, like, anybody can join." Said one girl in our squad.  
_Yeah,_ I thought, putting my hair up in a bun, _You can join and become a slave for life. It's fantastic._  
"Oh yeah." Melissa, or really, her yeerk, answered the girl. "It's great."  
"And plus, if you go to that new mall, they'll give you all sorts of discounts if you're a member." She added.  
"Are you serious?" Another girl squealed. "I'm so joining up!"  
_You'd trade your freedom for 20% off at The Gap?_ I wanted to smack her back to her senses.  
"Is that if you're a full member or if you just drop by sometimes?" I asked, turning to Mel, whose Yeerk seemed taken aback.  
But that was just for a second. In another moment she was back to herself again. "Full." She said. "You've gotta be a full member for the discounts. Why, Rachel, thinking of signing up?"  
I started to laugh. "No way." I said. "There's no way you could get me to join a lame-ass group like that. Sorry."  
The Yeerk glared at me with Melissa's eyes, sending me a message that was all too clear -- _just you wait, human. Just you wait._  
I gave the slug a shit-faced grin, and wave. "See ya in class, Mel."  
Then I walked out of the locker room before the Yeerk could catch the tears in my eyes.

Needless to say, by the time second period was over, I wasn't in the mood to continue my day of academic pursuit. So I skipped third period, dropped by Cassie's class to tell her I wasn't feeling well, and that I'd go check in with the nurse.

Of course, I did no such thing.

No, instead I went into the girl's bathroom, opened up a window and flew out of it two minutes later.

For a while, I just flew around the school, trying to think of a place I could go. Home was out of the question -- Mom was staying at home today to look over a case. So, what other options did I have?  
Then it hit me. The mall. I'd even left some clothing up on the roof, you know, for emergencies.  
And while this wasn't exactly an emergency, I figured that at least I'd be putting the clothes to good use. And get my mind off Mel.

So I took my time and wound up at the mall about an hour later. Then I landed on the roof, demorphed, threw the clothes on over my morphing suit and went inside.

I headed towards the food court, thinking of picking up a fruit smoothie before I went window-shopping. (I'd put some money in with the clothes, too.)  
But it was on the way to the food court that I saw them. A tall lady with long, wavy brown hair and lightly tanned skin in a tan sweater and black pants.  
And the man holding her hand. Blonde. Blue-eyed. With a smile I'd recognize anywhere.

My Dad.

****

Poor Rachel! (Reader Reponse)

**freak show** - Well, I'm glad you liked the last chaper! And I'm also glad to that you think Marco's darker in this story than he in the series...I'm trying to make him a little more bitter and moody. And a fight between Tobias and Marco? Well, at the moment, I don't think there's going to be a fight, but you never know...and sorry about your writer's block. Want me to try and shoo him away?

**Celestial Hikari** - My bad about the triplets thing. Well, just for you, I'll tell which one Iniss 666 is -- Greater, Lesser, or Middle -- but later in the story.

**Neri AKA Pussywillowgoddess** - Hey, it's okay if you dropped Animorphs for Buffy for a while. I've done it a few times. And advice about writing -- this may sound strange, but make yourself do it. Try to get yourself a moment or two and sit there with your computer and write. It doesn't have to be spectacular, just getting started helps, 'cause that's the hardest part. And that's probably the best advice I could give you. And I'm glad you like Marco, and the characters' chemistry and all that stuff. And, yes, there's going to be lots of Rachel-Tobias goodness. And, yeah, there will be some sex, but I'm not going to make it, like, you know, dirty. And Madra is Visser One's daughter...and oh my god, you're right! There's no Harry or Buffy inserts in this chapter, either! I guess I'll just have to stuff the next one full of them. And to answer your questions -- a vigniette is, I think, a fanfic that's pretty much just a character's thoughts and feelings. They tend to be pretty short. A ficlet is pretty much a short fanfic as far as I can tell. Drabble is kind of like a vingnette, except a little longer, and usually without a plot. They also might not make much sense. NC-17 is the same as it would be in the theatre: explicit sex and/or violence. More or less porno, though a lot of times there are fics with a complete, great, story and everything...not just detailed sex. And I get most of my quotes from www.quotationspage.com. And thanks, I will continue to keep writing.

**zero** - I'm thinking you want me to update soon. Am I right?

**DH L'Orange** -Hey, s'okay that you missed the chapter again. No biggie. And I'm glad Madra made you grin. And, hey, if you put me on your author alert -- that'd be fantastic!

**Patrick Blah** - So, you like the word boff, huh? =P And, yep, David's a skateboard freak. A skateboard freak with problems, actually, but hey...and Madra's one of V1 kids. Remember? And I'm glad you like Human!Ax, I kinda like him myself. =)

**alexise-z** - Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you liked the story and Tom's chapter and all that.

**Michelle** - Wow. This was the first Animorphs fic you read? Um, wow, I'm flattered. Seriously. I'm glad you liked and I'm sorry I took so long updating -- and you should read some more stuff, there's some really good Animorphs fanfic out there!

**kaz456** - Glad you like the Marco-Rachel-Tobias thing, and I'm flattered you think I'm doing a good job with Marco and his feelings. And there's going to be a David chapter in a while, but I'm not sure when I'll write the next Tom one (though I know he'll have more than one). And there was a bit of foreshadowing in the Marco/Ax but sssh! No one's supposed to know yet! =P

**Korean Pearl** - Glad you liked the chapter and the stuff with David and Rachel and Marco. And Madra is indeed from Visser...but if you haven't read it, I really don't want to tell you who she is, exactly, 'cause it would ruin a lot of the book. And the scene with Tobias and his uncle is coming up, I hope you'll like it.

**Mad Cow** - You really think my Marco is dead-on? Thanks. And as for the forementioned slash...well, it's not in the last chapter because Marco still likes Rachel. And while you've got a good guess about David, nope, he's not going to be slashed. But he will be more in the story later on, if that's worth anything. And, well, I didn't updated soon, but I updated...does that count? 


	4. Chapter Four: Tobias

Author's Note: Yay, it's finished. I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter, but I think it's all right. The good news is that I can promise there's going to be a lot more of this fic soon, and I hope you guys like this!

**

Threads of Fate

**  
Chronicle Two

* * *

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. - Jane Howard, "Families"

* * *

**Chapter Four  
-Tobias-**

I climbed out of bed and walked out of Ax's room and mine.

My name, just so you know, is Tobias; and I was starving.  
Okay, I also couldn't sleep, but I'd spent a good chunk of the night beating up Controllers, so I was going to give into my craving for some sugary cavity-inducing cereal goodness, the fact that that it was three in the morning be damned.

But I wasn't stupid or rude. I didn't want to wake anyone up. Ax was a real grouch if you interrupted his sleep, and Loren -- well, she was terrifying.

Which was why I was surprised to find the kitchen lights on and even more surprised to see Loren sitting at the counter immersed in a bowl of Frosted Flakes and a warm cup of coffee.

She looked up at me and yawned. "What are you doing up?"  
I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."  
Loren laughed and pushed her long blonde hair out of her eyes. "I know the feeling," she smiled, "Hungry? I could make you something."  
I shook my head, still kind of taken aback, even after all this time, at the way she tried to make me feel at home here.  
"No, that's fine. I might grab a snack, though." I mumbled. Loren nodded and turned her attention back to her paper. "Well, you know where the snack cabinet is," then she added, "Ax ate all the Fruit-Rollups, so..."  
"The Fruit-Rollups are no more." I said. "We are Ax's stomach. You will be assimilated."

Loren snorted into her paper. Then we both turned around at the sound of footsteps.

"What about Fruit-Rollups?" Ax wondered, yawning, standing there half-awake in his dorky blue-and-white striped pajamas.  
"You ate them all, kiddo." Loren informed him. "I have to go buy some tomorrow."  
Ax frowned and ran a hand through his hair and looked up at me, reminding me of Jake. "What do we have?"  
"Um," I reached into the snack cabinet. "A box of Fruity Pebbles. What do you think?"  
Ax grinned. "It's my stomach, they'll be assimilated." I threw the box at him and it hit the floor. "Pick that up." Loren ordered.  
"Yes, Ms. Smith." I said, grabbing the box.  
Loren sighed and put down her paper, turning back to give me a reprimanding glare. "Now Ax has got you doing it, too. Don't call me Ms. Smith."  
Ax and I looked at each other. "Yes, Ms. Smith." We chorused.  
"You two are going to be the death of me." She announced.

I poured a bowl of Fruity Pebbles for Ax, and myself then we each took one and sat down with Loren.

"You boys will go back to sleep after eating that junk, won't you?" Loren asked us.  
"Of course." Ax said before he started more or less inhaling the sugared pebbles.  
"Good," Loren said, "Because I don't want to haul two sleep-deprived teenage boys to school tomorrow."

Ax and I exchanged a guilty glance. What Loren didn't know was that neither of us would be at school the next day. After she dropped us off, we'd be out there, busy spying on the Yeerks with two Chee taking our places.  
Then I noticed Ax starting at the back of Loren's paper. "What's that?" He asked, pointing at an article.

Loren turned the paper around. "That," she said, "is just this reporter guy going on about how great The Sharing is."  
She frowned. "They're a nice organization but a lot of those people give me the creeps. Like that William Tennet guy, from Contact Point? It's almost like a religion for him."

All this talk about The Sharing, and coming from Loren, was starting to bother me. I could feel stomach clench and my appetite die a quick death.

I coughed and stood up. "I think I'm full," I mumbled, "I'm going to go back to bed. Ax, you want the rest of this?" I asked, handing him my bowl.  
"Sure." Ax said, taking the bowl, worry all over his face.  
Loren got up, too, hugged me and told me good night.

I spent the rest of the night lying in my bed, not sleeping, my mind filled with horrible imagings, twisted shadow images of Loren and Ax and Rachel and the others in the Yeerk Pool and me helpless to save them.

---

Did you talk to her about it? Ax asked me.  
No, I don't know what to say, I sighed, But I did ask her out.  
So you'll be coming then?  
Yeah.  
Cool.

We stopped talking for a while as I spent my time peeking in from the new mall's sunroof, double-checking to see was coming and going through what we suspected was the pool entrance.

Rachel and I had discovered it about a week ago on our last date. One of the Gap dressing rooms.

Yes, Rachel took me shopping for clothes. I don't want to talk about it ever again.

Hey, Ax, I said, What do you think I should say?  
How about "I'm sorry for being a jerk but I don't want to talk about this right now"? Ax suggested. You're asking the wrong guy, you know that, right? I don't exactly have a lot of experience apologizing to girls. Besides, Rachel's different from most girls.  
You're right. I said. Thanks anyway, Ax-man.

Then I thought for a moment. Wait. Are you telling me you've never had a girlfriend?

Nope. I haven't. Ax said.  
Why not? I wondered, I mean, it's not like you're an unattractive guy.  
No interest, I guess, Ax sighed.

I laughed as I flew over to him. We had to switch. My wings were starting to ache.

So what, you're telling me you've never liked a girl? Never?

I didn't say that, Ax grumbled. I just meant that there's no interest. I never cared about the whole dating thing, even before all this.  
Really? I asked him. Ax, that's -- that's kind of sad.  
He chuckled. Easy for you to say, Romeo. Guess an alien like me just doesn't understand you humans.

Ax took off then and I sat there, waiting, keeping my advanced hawk eyes on the alert for any suspicious activity. There wasn't a lot except for this one guy buying way too many Hawaiian shirts. But that wasn't the kind of activity I was supposed to keep an eye on anyway.

But this was the third time the guy had gone to his car with a cartful of Hawaiian shirts. Which, with all of the things I'd experienced in the last few months, didn't unnerve me as much as they used to.  
My uncle had a thing for them, though. They went along nicely with the stains on his jeans.

Wait.

__

No way, I told myself. _You're imaging it, Tobias. Freaking out because of what happened._

Yes, that was it. I was imaging things. Like the fact that Hawaiian Shirt Guy's bald spot looked just like Uncle Rodney's.

Who I hadn't seen or heard from since the night he went after me with a belt. Who just happened to be purchasing way too many Hawaiian shirts. Who just happened to be in the parking lot of a Yeerk mall.

__

It's coincidence, the rational part of my mind chimed in, _He's not here. It's not him._

Right. Coincidence.

It was three months and a war later and I still hadn't gotten over it. When I wasn't having nightmares about the Yeerks and the horrible things I had to do, I dreamed about him. About his belt cutting me up.

My imagination was just being overactive, that's all. Because I was still scared.

__

What if it is him? I asked myself. _You're supposed to be investigating Yeerks, aren't you? Maybe he knows something. Maybe he'd even tell you -- if it is him._ It couldn't be him. The Yeerks wouldn't want a waste like him, he was useless.  
Except for the fact that he might have a clue about the weird boy who'd had the fainting spells. The boy they'd wanted an underage hacker to investigate. The one the police had been looking for.

Oh, shit.

Well, there was only one way to be sure.

---

I flew off my post and went to the back alley where Ax and I had morphed, still fighting with myself.

__

Ax could get hurt while you're off chasing a delusion. The little voice in my head lectured. _What then?_

Ax can take of himself, I told myself. He'd be fine.

__

What if he isn't? What if some yeerk notices him?

They won't, I argued. Even though I was supposed to be his backup and I was hightailing it away.  
But I should at least tell him what I was up to.

Ax! I shouted. I think...well, there's a guy I want to keep an eye on. I don't think I saw him near the entrances but he's acting strange. I'm going to demorph and look in on him. Can you hold tight for a few minutes?

Sure, Ax said, But what's up?  
I can't explain right now, I told him. _More like you don't want to,_ My inner voice said, It's a hunch.  
Okay, Ax relented. You sure you don't want me to watch this guy?  
Certain, I told my foster-brother. But thanks.  
Be careful.  
I will be.

Then I started to demorph. My talons started to explode as they became big fleshy fingers and toes. My feathers began to smooth out and strands of tow-colored blonde hair erupted from my head.  
I looked a little like a Furby, or maybe a muppet. You know, a Furby-Muppet Steven King style. I wonder what it'd be like if Steven King wrote a book about a Muppet-Furby.

Anyway, it wasn't long before I was back to my scrawny human self. Then it dawned on me that I was going to look a little out of place wearing a tight shirt and athletic shorts, shoeless, at the mall in the middle of December. Shame Ax had left our clothes on the roof. Oh well.

I ran walked out of the alley and started to walk to the parking lot.

Only to discover the Hawaiian Shirt Guy was no longer there.

Crap.

Running across the parking lot now and into the mall. Pushed the doors open and knocked down some big eyed ditzy looking blonde girl and her redheaded boyfriend. Ran past them and scanned the crowd. Where had he gone?

__

What will you do when you see him, anyway? I asked myself. _Walk up and say, "Hey, it's me, your nephew. The one who ran away from home? I was wondering, do you have an alien slug in your head?"_

"I don't know," I muttered, too frustrated to care that I was talking to myself, "I don't know what I'll do!"

It was stupid rushing into the mall like this, leaving Ax without someone to watch him, just because I thought that maybe...

It came back to me without warning. The feeling as his belt ripped my skin. Screaming out that I was sorry for all those things he'd accused me of, things I'd never done. Those moments afterwards when I'd sat in my room swinging between rage and sadness. When I didn't know what I was going to do...

I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind. No, this wasn't stupid. If my uncle _was_ infested, I needed to know. We all needed to know. Jake's brother, Rachel's cousin, was already a controller. The more of our family who'd been taken equaled the more people who could figure out our secret.  
I needed to know. Even if part of me was scared senseless.

Some blonde kid with a skateboard shoved me out of his way. That was when I saw them.

Rachel and my uncle.

Entering the Gap.

---

"Rachel!" I cried. "Rachel!"

That was stupid, I realized. She couldn't hear me over the crowd. Besides, what the hell was she doing here, anyway? I swear, if she told me she ditched school because of a sale, I was going to kill her.

I made my way through the crowd again and reached the Gap.

Rachel and my uncle had already gone inside. I walked in, ignoring the salesperson asking me if I wanted to buy something. I had to find Rachel. If my suspicion was right -- which I was now pretty sure it was -- I had to find her. _Now._

I wasn't letting them take Rachel.

I know I sound dramatic and corny. I probably am. But you have to understand. Rachel is a lot more than just my girlfriend, she's my best friend. My only friend, really, that I had before all of this craziness started.  
So, I had a reason to get worked up about her having a Yeerk slug in her brain.  
I raced through aisles of clothes and accessories, trying to find the entrance Rachel and I had seen the last time we were here. Where was it? Where was it?!

I ran through a collection of sweaters and then I saw them. My uncle, gripping Rachel's arm. Almost puncturing the skin.  
She was swearing and kicking at him but then he slapped her across the face. Rachel lifted her free arm to do the same but he grabbed that one as well.  
That was it.

I burst through the sweaters. "Rachel!" I shouted, raising my voice to an unnatural level. "Hey, guy, get off my girlfriend!"  
The Yeerk in my uncle's body leapt away from Rachel. I could hear the salespeople coming in to check on the ruckus.  
The Yeerk looked me in the eyes. "You," he whispered.  
"Yeah." I said, my voice sounding a lot more even than I expected it to, "Me. Long time no see."

The Yeerk glared and ran out of there. I didn't bother to chase after him this time.

---

Rachel and I left the Gap before there was a real scene. We ended up sitting on a bench by some record store. Well, Rachel was sitting. And apologizing. I was a little too busy pacing to do either of those things.  
"I'm sorry," Rachel whispered. "I don't know what I was thinking, breaking out of school like that. It was stupid. I could have been..."  
"You weren't." I said.  
"That doesn't make me any less stupid, does it?" Rachel asked. I didn't have an answer for that. Instead, I just asked, "How did that guy find you?"  
I noticed Rachel blush as I walked past her. "I was worked up, you know, about Mel and what I saw with my dad. That guy came by and he was trying to comfort me, then he'd grabbed me and..."

Rachel shuddered and looked at me. "Tobias."  
"Yeah?" I asked her, not bothering to look at her this time.  
"You're shaking."  
She got up and wrapped her arms around me. I leaned into her embrace, fighting the tears in my eyes. "It was him," I whispered. "My uncle. He's one of _them_ now."  
"Oh god, Tobias." Rachel whispered. She took my hand.  
"I know." I said. Then I didn't know what to say so I just kissed her.

We left not long after that and hooked up with Ax to finish our patrol.  
I didn't tell him everything but I clued him into the important thing: My suspicions were right. My uncle was a Controller.

That was it. I guess I should've been more bothered by it, but I'd never much liked my uncle. I cared for him, sure, because he was family. But we weren't close and after all, he beat me up.  
It wasn't like I'd lost Rachel, or Ax, or any of the others.

But then I had no idea how much one slug could change things.

* * *

**Oooh, foreshadowing! (Reader's Response)**

Baranth - It's okay, I forgive you for being jerky. I just don't understand why you're so worked up about badfic...I mean, I know it's horrible, but that's why you and ignore it and write good stuff. Or give some stories a chance. I'd thrown in soem World Poker Tour references, but unfortunately, I don't watch it! And Marco/Toby...that's an interesting idea, but the story's kind of heading in another direction...maybe another fic, though. I'd like to read something like that, it'd be cool.

**Patrick Blah** - Sorry your Author Alert keeps messing up. =( And I'm gad you're interested in the Madra thing...it'll turn out to be part of quite a complicated web later on. And I hope that you enjoyed the Tobias/Ax/Loren stuff in this chapter. And no spoilers on when/if Tobias will find out about Loren. wink And Rachel's dad...well, I'm not telling. You have to read to see.

**goddess of darkness3** - Glad you liked the story and there will be more soon!

**Kuwa-chan** - Yes, _that_ Madra. And, okay, if you really want me to, I'll smack you for not reading...but that wouldn't be fair with me not reading Cheechron. Glad you liked the twistiness and the slashiness, David and Madra, Rachel, and the Tobias/Ax interaction. And I habe you anticipating the pairings? Woohoo! My work is done! =)

**Mortathar** - I get writer's block because my plans kind of fall apart when I write. Ack. Good luck with your writer's block, though. I find the best thing to do for that is to wade your way through it and just try and write anyway. Again, good luck!

**A.S.Amalon** - Hey, long time no see! Thanks for the compliments and I promise another update soon.

**Jamieson Z** - Glad you liked Tom and the R/T. And, yeah, I had the same thoughts about the language. I know I swear like a sailor and so do lots of kids my age, so...yeah. That explains the cursing and all. =P And, hey, if you keep reviewing, I'll keep writing!

**freak show** - Okay, okay, it doesn't suck. And who knows, maybe you'll get your Marco/Tobias fight. Or at least Maroc and Tobias fighting with _somebody_. That I can promise. And one of your guesses on Rachel's Dad's girlfriend (whether she's a controller or not) is right, but I can't tell you which one. It's not Tobias's aunt, though that is a really cool idea...maybe if you wrote that your writer's block would go away? Shoo, block, shoo!

**cherrygashes** - Yay, somebody's addicted to my stuff. =) Thanks for reviewing, and yeah, I'll keep writing!

**kaz456** - This story won't be finished 'til it's finished, don't worry! Well, unless I die or something. Then I'll stop, but I hope that won't happen. And you'll see about David...and there will be a Tobias-Marco scene later on, so just wait for it. And I just forgot about the captializing dad. I'll go fix that, thanks.

**DH L'Orange** - Summer is awesome as far as updating goes. All my fave authors are getting back to their fics, and it's great. I know exactly what you mean. And I'm glad you like the Loren/Ax/Tobias stuff, they'll be even more of it later on. And I'm glad you like the mention of weather. It was sort of irritating the KAA never brought that up...

**Korean Pearl** - Glad you like the Rachel and Tobias stuff. Everybody seems to love those two. grin And I'm glad you liked this! 


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